Before the 1970s much of Australia’s trade was held with the European and North American markets. During this period, Australia was also considered as a relatively closed and protectionist economy. However, as key economic reforms were gradually being introduced by the Australian government, the Australian economy also started to turn its attention away from trade with the Western markets to trade within the Asia-Pacific region.
This shift has turned Australia into one of the fastest growing advanced economies in the world. Australia is the 13th largest economy in the world. In the past two decades, Australia has enjoyed a period of uninterrupted economic growth – an average of 3.3 percent in real GDP growth annually. Australia possesses a well-diversified economy boosted by the strength of its services and industries.
Australia’s Export, Import &Trade
In 2009, China became Australia's largest export market, surpassing Japan.
Resources continue to underpin Australia’s exports to China. Australia exported 266.2 million tonnes of iron ore to China in 2009, an increase of 45.2 per cent over the same period.
China is also Australia’s largest source of imports. Major imports from China include clothing, communications equipment, computers, prams, toys, games and sporting goods, furniture and televisions.
The vast scale of trade with China has seen massive investments by Chinese companies in Australia. From 2007 to 2010, Chinese investment in Australia amounted to nearly US $60 billion. Australia’s mineral exports also grew by 55 percent to US $139 billion in 2010 and are expected to reach US $180 billion in 2011, thanks to China’s strong economic performance. Chinese companies have also started to lease land from the Australian government to mine resources on their own.
Along with their relationship with China, Australia holds multiple free trade agreements with numerous other countries such as the US, Singapore, Chile and Thailand.
Today, Australia is ranked 19th in the world for both imports and exports.
Australia’s Industry Sectors
In 2010, Australia’s GDP composition was as follows – agriculture (3.8 percent), industry (24.9 percent), services (71.3 percent).
The services include industries such as banking, insurance and finance; the media and entertainment industries; consulting, tourism and retail; services provided by the government, such as education, health and welfare; and other personal and business services.
Large quantities of minerals and natural resources can be found in Australia, which has the world’s largest resources of recoverable brown coal, lead, rutile, zircon, nickel, tantalum, uranium and zinc, and ranks second in the world for bauxite, copper, gold and silver. Iron ore is another extremely valuable asset, with high demand from China.
Australia is a vast country, with a landmass roughly the same as that of Europe. The population isn’t evenly distributed, with most people living in cities. The main cities of the country each have very different atmospheres, and it’s worth travelling around a bit to get to know them all.
In general, Australian people live in the suburbs, not in the city centre, so there are fewer people around at night. City centres are for working and shopping, then for partying, but not really for living in. This means that shops close early, unless you’re in an area with lots of bars and restaurants.
The public transport is generally expensive and doesn’t run very frequently or very late.
The best cities in Australia are:
Sydney
Merlbourne
Perth
Adelaide
SYDNEY
The name “Sydney” evokes a famous image : that of the city’s iconic Opera House and Harbour Bridge. From here you can visit the Botanic Gardens or wander across the Bridge, or head towards the historic Rocks area.
Sydney is also home to Taronga Zoo, that is a great place to get up close with some of Australia’s unique animals.
Harbor bridge
Sydney Harbour Bridge is one of Sydney's most famous landmarks. Prior to the bridge being built, the only links between the city centre in the south and the residential north were by ferry or by a 20 kilometre (12½ mile) road route that involved five bridge crossings. Sydney Harbour Bridge, which is known locally as the "Coat Hanger", took eight years to build, including the railway line. The bridge was manufactured in sections on a site that is now occupied by a Luna Park fun fair.
Opera House
The Opera House is one of the most important 20th century buildings, situated in Sydney Harbour. It is one of the most famous performing arts venues in the world.
The Concert Hall contains the Sydney Opera House Grand Organ, the largest mechanical tracker action organ in the world with over 10,000 pipes.
Sydney Opera House has about 1000 rooms, including five theatres, five rehearsal studios, two main halls, four restaurants, six bars and numerous souvenir shops.
MELBOURNE
Melbourne is the capital of the state of Victoria.
The architecture is an interesting mix of modern and Victorian.
Melbourne is a multicultural city. You can spend an evening learning how to dance like an African tribesman, listening to the latest in German techno, or enjoying the high-end vibes of a top-class sushi restaurant.
Prepare to play in St Kilda, where you can kick up your heels by the seashore, along with live music or on the whirligigs at Luna Park.
Melbourne is a very important city for shopping: whether you're after high fashion or fine art, Melbourne's ever-evolving shopping choices make it difficult to decide where to start your spree.
Discover fantastic fashion at Husk, Alice Euphemia and Chiodo. Find a forgotten gem in retro stores Shag and Retrostar. And then revive yourself with hot chocolate and coffee at Koko Black.
ADELAIDE
Adelaide, the capital of South Australia, is another small city. It’s a planned city, set out in a grid and located several kilometres from the beach. The city centre it self can be a bit boring, but the beach suburbs of Henley Beach and Glenelg are both really pleasant — good places to watch the sunset with a cocktail in your hand. The public transport isn’t up to much but you can use the city bikes to get around .
There’s plenty to do in and around the city, like visiting one of the three nearby wine regions (the Barossa Valley, the Clare Valley and Maclaren Vale), or heading out mountain biking. And you can swim with dolphins.
Adelaide Panda Tours give you a behind the scenes experience without the crowds. Get up close and personal with the only giant pandas in the southern hemisphere, Wang Wang and Funi, at Adelaide Zoo.
See how the giant pandas spend their day. Learn about the bamboo, where its sourced, how the zoo keeps up the supply for their daily intake. Learn about the genetic makeup of giant pandas and the efforts that are being made to save these endangered animals from extinction.
Panda
PERTH
Perth is the capital city of Western Australia and the only real city on the western coast.
Perth is a relatively quiet town, but with a pleasant atmosphere. There’s also plenty to do nearby, such as visiting the Swan Valley for wine tasting or heading to Rottnest or Penguin Islands for some wildlife-spotting.
Located in the spectacular Shoalwater Islands Marine Park, just 45 minutes south of Perth is Penguin Island- a beautiful, unspoilt nature reserve home to WA's largest colony of little penguins as well as dolphins, sea lions, stingrays, pelicans, ospreys and more. Visitors can see the penguins being fed by rangers at the Discovery Centre. It's also fantastic for swimming, snorkelling, having a picnic or just enjoying some of the best coastal scenery in Perth.
ECONOMY OF AUSTRALIA
Before the 1970s much of Australia’s trade was held with the European and North American markets. During this period, Australia was also considered as a relatively closed and protectionist economy. However, as key economic reforms were gradually being introduced by the Australian government, the Australian economy also started to turn its attention away from trade with the Western markets to trade within the Asia-Pacific region.
This shift has turned Australia into one of the fastest growing advanced economies in the world. Australia is the 13th largest economy in the world. In the past two decades, Australia has enjoyed a period of uninterrupted economic growth – an average of 3.3 percent in real GDP growth annually. Australia possesses a well-diversified economy boosted by the strength of its services and industries.
Australia’s Export, Import &Trade
In 2009, China became Australia's largest export market, surpassing Japan.
Resources continue to underpin Australia’s exports to China. Australia exported 266.2 million tonnes of iron ore to China in 2009, an increase of 45.2 per cent over the same period.
China is also Australia’s largest source of imports. Major imports from China include clothing, communications equipment, computers, prams, toys, games and sporting goods, furniture and televisions.
The vast scale of trade with China has seen massive investments by Chinese companies in Australia. From 2007 to 2010, Chinese investment in Australia amounted to nearly US $60 billion. Australia’s mineral exports also grew by 55 percent to US $139 billion in 2010 and are expected to reach US $180 billion in 2011, thanks to China’s strong economic performance. Chinese companies have also started to lease land from the Australian government to mine resources on their own.
Along with their relationship with China, Australia holds multiple free trade agreements with numerous other countries such as the US, Singapore, Chile and Thailand.
Today, Australia is ranked 19th in the world for both imports and exports.
Australia’s Industry Sectors
In 2010, Australia’s GDP composition was as follows – agriculture (3.8 percent), industry (24.9 percent), services (71.3 percent).
The services include industries such as banking, insurance and finance; the media and entertainment industries; consulting, tourism and retail; services provided by the government, such as education, health and welfare; and other personal and business services.
Large quantities of minerals and natural resources can be found in Australia, which has the world’s largest resources of recoverable brown coal, lead, rutile, zircon, nickel, tantalum, uranium and zinc, and ranks second in the world for bauxite, copper, gold and silver. Iron ore is another extremely valuable asset, with high demand from China.
Modified from here
CITIES
Australia is a vast country, with a landmass roughly the same as that of Europe. The population isn’t evenly distributed, with most people living in cities. The main cities of the country each have very different atmospheres, and it’s worth travelling around a bit to get to know them all.
In general, Australian people live in the suburbs, not in the city centre, so there are fewer people around at night. City centres are for working and shopping, then for partying, but not really for living in. This means that shops close early, unless you’re in an area with lots of bars and restaurants.
The public transport is generally expensive and doesn’t run very frequently or very late.
The best cities in Australia are:
Sydney
Merlbourne
Perth
Adelaide
SYDNEY
The name “Sydney” evokes a famous image : that of the city’s iconic Opera House and Harbour Bridge. From here you can visit the Botanic Gardens or wander across the Bridge, or head towards the historic Rocks area.
Sydney is also home to Taronga Zoo, that is a great place to get up close with some of Australia’s unique animals.
Sydney Harbour Bridge is one of Sydney's most famous landmarks. Prior to the bridge being built, the only links between the city centre in the south and the residential north were by ferry or by a 20 kilometre (12½ mile) road route that involved five bridge crossings. Sydney Harbour Bridge, which is known locally as the "Coat Hanger", took eight years to build, including the railway line. The bridge was manufactured in sections on a site that is now occupied by a Luna Park fun fair.
The Opera House is one of the most important 20th century buildings, situated in Sydney Harbour. It is one of the most famous performing arts venues in the world.
The Concert Hall contains the Sydney Opera House Grand Organ, the largest mechanical tracker action organ in the world with over 10,000 pipes.
Sydney Opera House has about 1000 rooms, including five theatres, five rehearsal studios, two main halls, four restaurants, six bars and numerous souvenir shops.
MELBOURNE
Melbourne is the capital of the state of Victoria.
The architecture is an interesting mix of modern and Victorian.
Melbourne is a multicultural city. You can spend an evening learning how to dance like an African tribesman, listening to the latest in German techno, or enjoying the high-end vibes of a top-class sushi restaurant.
Prepare to play in St Kilda, where you can kick up your heels by the seashore, along with live music or on the whirligigs at Luna Park.
Melbourne is a very important city for shopping: whether you're after high fashion or fine art, Melbourne's ever-evolving shopping choices make it difficult to decide where to start your spree.
Discover fantastic fashion at Husk, Alice Euphemia and Chiodo. Find a forgotten gem in retro stores Shag and Retrostar. And then revive yourself with hot chocolate and coffee at Koko Black.
ADELAIDE
Adelaide, the capital of South Australia, is another small city. It’s a planned city, set out in a grid and located several kilometres from the beach. The city centre it self can be a bit boring, but the beach suburbs of Henley Beach and Glenelg are both really pleasant — good places to watch the sunset with a cocktail in your hand. The public transport isn’t up to much but you can use the city bikes to get around .
There’s plenty to do in and around the city, like visiting one of the three nearby wine regions (the Barossa Valley, the Clare Valley and Maclaren Vale), or heading out mountain biking. And you can swim with dolphins.
Adelaide Panda Tours give you a behind the scenes experience without the crowds. Get up close and personal with the only giant pandas in the southern hemisphere, Wang Wang and Funi, at Adelaide Zoo.
See how the giant pandas spend their day. Learn about the bamboo, where its sourced, how the zoo keeps up the supply for their daily intake. Learn about the genetic makeup of giant pandas and the efforts that are being made to save these endangered animals from extinction.
PERTH
Perth is the capital city of Western Australia and the only real city on the western coast.
Perth is a relatively quiet town, but with a pleasant atmosphere. There’s also plenty to do nearby, such as visiting the Swan Valley for wine tasting or heading to Rottnest or Penguin Islands for some wildlife-spotting.
Located in the spectacular Shoalwater Islands Marine Park, just 45 minutes south of Perth is Penguin Island- a beautiful, unspoilt nature reserve home to WA's largest colony of little penguins as well as dolphins, sea lions, stingrays, pelicans, ospreys and more. Visitors can see the penguins being fed by rangers at the Discovery Centre. It's also fantastic for swimming, snorkelling, having a picnic or just enjoying some of the best coastal scenery in Perth.
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